The Walking Dead: Faded
by malloryhowlett
Summary: 'Stay with me Els, keep breathing. We'll get out, I swear...' After losing her fiancée and daughter, Elsie will do whatever it takes to survive, but after causing havoc in Alexandria during it's fall to the walkers, she is forced to join Rick's scattered group. How can they survive after being forced back into the unknown? (OCxRickGrimes)
1. Prologue

_I own nothing of THE WALKING DEAD franchise. _

* * *

As she looked through the barrel of her sniper, she could see the walkers forcing their mangled bodies through the opening of the wall. Dozens turned into hundreds, piling into the town she had been watching over for weeks. Screams began to echo throughout the streets, people racing around helplessly as they attempted to get away from their inevitable death.

'Elsie, are you ready?' mumbled a voice behind her. She pulled away from her sight and turned to see Axa looking back, his face paling as the guilt etched through his chest. Elsie looked back at him in empathy and nodded, as two more of her group appeared from the trees.

'Remember, we only need food and guns...it's hell enough for them in there, I don't want to see any harming of survivors.' she stated, awaiting their agreement. 'Right then, put on your brave faces boys, we're taking on Alexandria.'

She pulled on her balaclava and made her way down to the side opening, which was left unattended. She slid through the gate and they began to make their way around towards the houses, making sure to hide away from sight. She spun around to Axa and gestured him into the houses, and then carried on with the other two.

Eventually she had diverted her men into specific locations, and she stealthily made her way towards the main hall making sure to watch her back, as she recalled seeing the guns being placed within that room. Through the regular screams and cries for help, she heard a loud, deep voice through the streets, getting louder and louder. She hid herself away behind a large container near the entrance and peered through, waiting for the owner of the voice to appear.

'Get Judith and Carl outta here, I'm going to grab the guns but stay safe!' the voice called, and a male appeared wearing a police uniform, he looked panicked as he ran into the hall, unaware of Elsie's presence. She took this as her chance and jumped out from behind the container and silently followed him inside, holding her gun tightly.

As she watched his every move, they made their way into the weapons holding room, which was stocked to the ceiling in gear. As she began to get closer, she realised that the man had begun to slow his steps, aware of her existence. As he was about to turn around she hit him as hard as she could around the back of the head, and he fell to the ground in a heap.

_'Time to put on a show_'...she thought to herself, and she jumped on top of him to tie up his wrists with wire.

'Y'know, I thought police officers were a little quicker, especially in a place as nice as this with food and a bed!' she sneered, standing up and watching him attempt to get back on his feet. She lifted up her foot and used it to push him back down to the ground.

'What the fuck are you doing?!' he shouted, looking up at her with piercing blue eyes, anger pulsing through his body.

As she took off her balaclava, she allowed her long dark brown hair to fall down over her shoulders and fake a sly smile.

'I'm taking everything you have...' she grinned.

When she noticed that he was unable to get up she made her way into the room and began to stock an empty bag full of guns, ammo and grenades, stopping to notice a machete with a red handle. She picked it up and placed it in her back pocket.

'Why did you do this to us?' he shouted.

'I didn't do anything, looks like someone in the town has been finding a way out themselves and somehow managed to forget to cover their tracks.' she sighed, continuing her façade as she felt her heart beat through her chest and she gathered everything as quickly as she could.

'We need guns to survive, I have to look after these people!' he called, the sound of worry echoed through Elsie as she tried to block him out.

'I have to look after my people too, shit happens sweetheart. Either accept or die...' she said as sweetly as she could, zipping up the bag and making her way back towards him.

She knelt down next to him and saw the fear and anger in his eyes, she so desperately wanted to apologise.

'Get ready for the outside Officer, you better be prepared...' she said taking out the machete. 'I'm going to cut the wire, if you do so much as make a move for me, I'll take your head back with me.'

He continued to glare deep into her eyes, his face falling into a fearsome scowl. She cut his wire, making sure the gun was trained on him, she stood up and made her way backwards towards the open door. He slowly stood up with his hands up in the hair, watching her intently.

'This is only business Officer, I have people too...If they don't get these, I die. We're all stuck in the same shithole...' she said, quickly glancing outside to find a quick pathway out. 'I hope you all make it...I really do.'

With that, she ran as fast as she could and jumped up and over a fallen piece of wall. As she jumped down and hid herself away, she turned around and saw smoke begin to rise from the houses.

_'I'm sorry...'_


	2. AN: Introduction

Hi guys,

A little background on where Faded begins, seeing as most TWD fanfiction base their story within one of the seasons, and then eventually change their path or continue using the shows ideas.

Mine is a little different, I read online somewhere that in the comics, Rick kills Jessie's husband and then they begin a romantic relationship - but as Alexandria falls to the walkers, Jessie gets bitten and he has to leave her behind.  
**I AM NOT SAYING THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN IN THE SHOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT SCHEMES THEY ARE PLANNING.**  
I am writing this before watching S5 Ep 14, so I do not know if/when/how Alexandria will fall and which characters may possibly die/leave, that will be my own creation.

I enjoyed this storyline, and thought of using this as a starting point of my own, trying to create my own ideas without relying entirely on the TV show. I hope you enjoy Faded and I will try to update regularly if enough people comment/heart/critique!

Thanks, get ready for Chapter One!

~ Mallory.


	3. 1: Aftermath

'Dad...Dad stop, we can't keep up...Dad!'

The cries for help were muffled as the ringing in Rick's ears pounded his way through his body. His heart slamming against his chest as he allowed his feet to slow down to a standstill. The day's events racing through his mind on a continuous loop, etching itself onto his unwilling eyes.

_Waking up next to Jessie, looking over and seeing her fast asleep and her blonde hair softly lingering over her face; going out to patrol the wall, the feeling of romance filling up his chest for the first time since Lori; the alarms ringing out as people's screams begin to resonate through the streets; being attacked in the gun hold; trying to find the woman who had done it; seeing everyone fleeing for the entrance, risking their chances out in the open; seeing his group falling behind; Abraham getting bitten and seeing Sasha as a walker; finding Carl and Judith with Jessie; Jessie getting bitten by Abraham; his world crashing down once again; seeing her grab hold of Judith in a desperate attempt to keep them all with her; shooting Jessie through the head to save his daughter; racing through the entrance; running...just...running..._

He had managed to find most of his group except for Rosita and Glenn, but once again, he had felt himself become a monster. Seeing Jessie's blood on his hands, he fell to his knees and allowed himself to grieve, whilst the other collapsed down in a quiet, open space and slowly came to terms with what had happened.  
All of a sudden Rick began to feel a burning hatred within his chest, he felt his whole body begin to shake in anger as he jumped up and walked toward his rifle that was laid on the ground.

'Rick, what are you doing?' asked Daryl, noticing the look in Rick's eyes.  
'We were attacked...' stated Rick. 'Not by those walkers, but by a group - I was attacked by a girl and she took most of our weapons, I think they started this as a way of getting in.'  
Everyone lifted up their weapons and began to ready themselves as Rick shook his head and took a step back.  
'No, I gotta do this on my own, I know the direction she took off in, I'm gonna find 'em...and I'm gonna kill 'em.'  
Carl looked up and knew that his father was being truthfully honest, and also knew by now that his main priority was his sister, who was curled up in his arms.  
'I'll look after everyone...' Carl said quietly, waiting for Rick's agreement.

* * *

'A whole town was left to ruin and all you got was this?!' bellowed a deep voice, which echoed through the abandoned factory, a few miles south of Alexandria. Elsie ignored the rants of anger as she looked over her friend who was crying in pain with a shattered ankle.

'Keep still Matt, I can't help you if you move it!' she whispered to him, in the hope of somehow finding a miracle to fix his injury. 'What did you do?'

'There was too many of them, I had to jump off the high end...I'm sorry Els, I dropped the food.' Matt hissed through his pain, his dark brown eyes tearing up as he grabbed hold of her hand.

'Hey...hey!' she said, cupping his face with her hand. 'You did nothing wrong, you got out...that's all we care about.'

'You're not the one ready to kill me...' he whispered, as he looked over Elsie's shoulder at the incoming shadow of a large, burly man with his fists clenched.

'SMITH...NO!'

* * *

As Rick reached the abandoned factory, he felt his heart race as his fury pulsed through his veins and ignited his adrenaline. He was desperate to find the woman that destroyed his chance at a new life, a new family, a new love...he wanted to make sure she suffered in every way possible.  
He heard a male voice shout and loud noises that resembled wood hitting the walls. He slowly edged his way around until he saw a back exit, as he hesitantly made his way inside, he noticed a group of people within the main room. He made himself anonymous behind a large bale of hay and watched intently as he awaited his chance.  
He watched as Matt writhed on the floor with another man looking over him in worry, and that's when Rick saw her.  
Elsie ran in with the bag of weapons and fell to her knees next to Matt, checking him over with fear in her eyes. He listened in on their conversation, aware that the male voice was getting increasingly louder, until the man stormed into the room.  
He was hitting almost 6 foot, his greasy blonde hair laid over his deathly stare and his fists were clenched tightly into tight balls.

'Smith, no!' shouted Matt, as the man grabbed Elsie by her hair and pulled her upto her feet, then throwing her into the table where the food was kept.  
'You told me that we would have everything here!' he growled at her. 'You told me that there was enough!'  
Elsie rubbed the back of her neck and attempted to hide the pain from her facial expression. She stood back up properly and took a few steps backwards.  
'There was a whole town of people...good innocent people and there were hundreds of walkers tearing them apart!' she shouted, aware that her attempt as reasoning would be ignored.

Rick's ears pricked up when she mentioned Alexandria, confused at her defensiveness when he had come into contact with a very different side to her.  
'I told you that I wanted food and guns, and you got me shit!' Smith roared, lifting up his fist and backhanding Elsie in the face, she was thrown onto the floor in a heap, and moaned in pain.  
Rick tightened his grip on his gun and lifted it up slowly onto Smith, whilst watching Elsie intently.  
'Leave her alone, Smith!' Matt cried out. 'She did more than any of us, she got your guns...just leave her be.'  
As Smith spun around and made his way to Matt, Elsie pushed herself up off the floor and thought of her encounter with Rick, and the guilt she felt.  
'I was forced to take down a man...he had children, Smith. I left him there with no chance of helping them get out, they did nothing wrong to us and you forced me to be a catalyst in their death.' Elsie called out, her legs trembling as she continued to feel dizzy from the blow to the head.

Rick slightly lowered his gun as he listened to her plead to him, realising what she meant back in that room:

_'If they don't get these, I die...I hope you get out, I really do...'_

His anger and hatred towards her slowly ebbed away as he watched her struggle to stay upright, maintaining her contact on Smith.  
'I suggest you shut the fuck up, whore...or I'll put you in the grave with everybody else.' Smith growled, his grey eyes glaring into her own piercing blue eyes.  
'Leave her alone you fucker!' shouted Matt. Smith jumped around and stormed towards him with rage in his eyes. Just as Rick stood up with Smith's head in his shot, Elsie grabbed the machete in her back pocket and jumped in front of Matt, placing the tip of the blade on Smith's throat.  
'You'll get through me, first.' she said, calmly but sternly. Her other fist was clenched, ready.  
They both stared each other down, until Smith took a step back and stormed out of the room.  
Once she saw him leave, Elsie allowed her legs to buckle and fell to her knees. Her head was pounding and she could taste the blood from her nose and lip, she exhaled deeply and then slowly laid on her back.  
'Do you think he'll come back?' asked one of the other men, who had tried to hide himself in the corner.

'...He always comes back.' Elsie sighed.


	4. 2: Help

After watching for almost half an hour afterwards, Rick began to feel partial empathy towards this Elsie girl, he saw that she had no choice and that she was doing it for her own life. He had found Carl and Judith, they were his priority, although his heart ached for Jessie, he would have that constant reminder that she tried to keep hold of Judith, a stupid mistake.  
He took one last look at the shell of a woman, curled up into herself, watching her injured friend intently, before quietly standing up and making his way out of the factory.

As he began to see his group in the distance, he heard a high pitched scream behind him. As he turned, he saw that the factory had begun to be engulfed in flames.

_'They took our supplies, they helped Alexandria fall...they deserve to die for what they did...' _

But something inside him forced him to stop in his tracks and take another look behind him.

_'But she doesn't...she needs to live, help her...help her.' _

Reluctantly, Rick raced towards the back exit of the factory once again, as he felt the heart of the flames pierce his skin.  
He looked down to see Matt who was still lying in the same position, burned to death and one other who also had the same fate.  
He heard the scream again, a bit further down into another room, he battled his way through, taking notice of the roof that was beginning to cave in.

Eventually, he made his way through and saw Smith grabbing Elsie and dragging her through the corridor into what looked like a small cupboard. Elsie attempted to punch and kick her way out of his iron grip but she knew that it was no use. Her chest was beginning to seize up from the smoke and she felt her limbs get weaker as she began to lose conciousness.

'Hey!' Rick bellowed to get Smith's attention. As Smith spun around Rick pulled the trigger and a bullet pierced through his skull. He fell into a heap and the floor and Elsie followed down with him.  
Rick ran over and placed her arm over his shoulder to pick her up, he could see that she was not fully concious as he carried her through the fire.  
Elsie slightly opened her eyes in confusion and looked at Rick in disbelief.  
_Were these hallucinations before her death, was this her own personal karma that she would have to accept? _

As she allowed him to carry her through the main room, she began to struggle out of his grasp.  
'Wait, I need to get something...' she croaked. She used the last of her energy to pick up the bag of weapons on the floor and running back to Rick.  
'You're...gonna...need these.' she mumbled, before collapsing unconscious into his awaiting arms.

As Elsie finally came too, she felt her head throbbing in pain and her chest aching as she struggling to catch her breath. She could feel the heat of the sun on her already burnt skin, but she could feel that she was laying on something soft as she twitched her fingers onto the fabric. She unwillingly began to open her eyes as she looked around to see that nobody was around, but yet it was set up as a campsite.

She looked down and also realised that she was wearing completely new clothes, which made her feel slightly embarrassed at who had changed her, but worriedly reached up towards her neck and calmed as she could feel her locket pendant was still there.  
She slowly stood up and looked around at the empty sleeping bags, empty food packets and burnt out campfire. It was too quiet for her liking, something was not right with the picture. Did she really see the Police Officer she left for dead?

'You're finally awake' a voice mumbled behind her. Elsie spun around on her heel and went for the machete, which...wasn't in her back pocket.  
The grey haired woman who had startled her, chuckled to herself and walked past Elsie with two more pieces of wood in her hands.  
'Rick took his knife back by the way, I don't think he'll let you borrow it again anytime soon.' she smiled as she laid the wood down on the pile.  
'...Rick?' Elsie struggled to speak, not realising how much damage the fire had done to her throat.  
'The guy who got you from the fire... the one you attacked at Alexandria?' the woman replied, lifting up one eyebrow in judgement.  
Elsie closed her eyes in shame and took a step back.  
'I didn't...I had to...' Elsie mumbled apologetically, until she was interrupted by the sound of more footsteps around the forest.

'Well, well...look who's finally here.' growled a voice from behind one of the trees. A man walked out, holding a crossbow over his shoulder and sauntering towards her with a look of disgust in his eyes.  
'Daryl, not yet...' another voice called. Elsie turned around once again and finally saw him. In broad daylight, no façades, no back up, no hope.

'My name is Rick, and you're gonna tell us who the fuck you are...'


	5. 3: Interrogation

Elsie looked at Rick in disbelief, embarrassment and shame as she was unable to tear her eyes away from his stare. She could feel the watchful eyes of the group that had rallied around her, watching and waiting for a reasonable reply. But she knew that she did not have a particularly acceptable reason for what she did, after all, she was in the presence of people that could of been killed due to her actions in Alexandria.

'My name is Elsie Rivers...' she started, aware of the slight growl in her voice, due to the smoke inhalation. 'I had a group just south of Alexandria...'

'Yeah, your damn group that killed our people...' snarled Daryl, slowly walking around her, intimidating her with every step.

'The walkers had already made their way in before we made our move...we just, didn't help.' she replied truthfully, not diverting her eyes from Rick. He knew that she was being completely honest, he knew that she had no idea of his presence within the factory before the fire. He quickly glanced over at Carl, who had anger pulsing through his veins for the woman standing before him, Rick knew that if Carl had the chance, he would be capable of killing Elsie himself, with no remorse.

'That's bullshit.' Daryl spat in her face.

'Why were you in Alexandria?' asked Carol calmly, hoping to partially divert Daryl's attention.

'I had no choice...I had to gather weapons, food and supplies from the town once we heard that it was being taken over.' Elsie stated, moving her sights onto Carol during her reply, before moving them back to match Rick's stare. 'I meant what I said, there were people in my group that were relying on me getting back, if I refused...we would have been killed anyway.'

Rick took a second to study her face, as she awaited his reply. He could see that her usually pale skin was partially burned from the heat of the fire, whilst her piercing blue eyes shone through. He saw her chest raising and sinking at a quickening pace through fear, something that he still could not comprehend.

'What I don't understand is your behaviour now...' he asked, taking a step towards her. 'Why are you being truthful now, now you're all alone with no group to defend...no one to rely on...'

'If I was myself in those situations, I wouldn't be here now. No living human would willingly give someone like me their supplies...believe me I've tried, but nobody provides compassion anymore. It's do or die, and I have to do what it takes to get the stuff that will stop me getting killed.' Elsie stated, a slight quiver in her voice, feeling like she was talking to a brick wall. She knew her words were useless, this group had no reason to believe her.

Rick rubbed the stubble on his face whilst a million thoughts raced through his mind, he believed every word she was saying. But her word wasn't enough, he had to know her...who was she? Why was she stuck here when she had a British accent? Who had she left behind?

'Who were you before all this?' he asked.

'I wasn't anybody...' she answered, reluctant to answer his question.

'I'm not fucking around here, you answer my questions or I'll kill you right now.' Rick growled, placing a hand on his gun.

'I wasn't anybody...' she repeated, before exhaling deeply and looking down at the floor. 'I moved here when I was 10, my parents died in a car accident 6 months later and I was in a care home. I failed school and never got a job...I was put in prison twice for stealing because I had nothing else to live for. Until I met Max...until Rose...'

Rick watched her become more uncomfortable the more she spoke, once she mentioned names, he saw her whole body language change. She was alone, completely.

'Please don't make me continue...' she pleaded quietly.

Carol began to tear up as she walked over to Rick, and placed her hand on his shoulder.

'Please, she's done enough...' she whispered.

'What do you mean she's done enough?!' snapped Carl, storming into view. He spun on his heel and walked upto Elsie and gritted his teeth. 'You allowed people to die because you're too damn selfish. We don't know who you are, and we don't care. We should tie you up and leave you as walker bait for what you did...you're scum.'

Elsie kept quiet and allowed him to rant away at her. Although he was a lot younger than her, she did take into account that he was about the same height and in the presence of his father so any backchat would have been costly.

'We've lost two people because of you, Rosita and Glenn were wore a million more than what you would ever be...' Carl started, before Elsie face scrunched up at the names he had said, remembering those name before back at the factory. She recalled two of the men bringing back 'hostages' after they had tried to compromise her plans within the town, and seeing Smith lock them away in one of the large metal containers.

'Wait...' she interuppted, ignoring Carl's intense glare. 'Those people...a chinese guy and a brown haired Latina girl?'

'He's Korean...' Daryl mumbled, before the whole group responded with loud shouting and panic at her response.

'You've seen Glenn?!' cried Maggie, stepping forward into her face. 'You better tell me where he is you bitch!'

Elsie took a step back and noticed a pistol on the floor, she jumped back, picked it up and ran as fast as she could back to the burnt down factory. She could hear Rick shouting her name angrily behind her, but she ignored his demands. She had to prove herself, she had to show them that she wasn't what they thought.

She reached the dilapidated building and made her way through the rubble, pleading to herself that the metal container was still there underneath it all. She shot down three walkers that had closed in on her with ease and began to lift up large pieces of wood where she last remembered the container to be. Just as Rick and his group reached her, she saw the container and dug around it to get to the opening. She used the barrell of the gun to break open the lock and used all her strength to open it.

Sure enough, there was Glenn and Rosita, perfectly fine if not a bit dazed, with cloths in their mouths, their wrists and ankles tied together. Elsie helped them out and stood back as the group ran over and welcomed them back. She dropped the gun down at her feet, and turned away to walk off, understanding her place and accepting her fate. She walked for ten minutes in a straight line, thankful for the lack of walkers - before loud and fast footsteps approached her from behind.

'Hey...hey!' called Rick's voice as he grabbed her shoulder and stood in front of her. She stopped in her tracks and looked up at him, she had lost everything, she was nothing and he saw that in her eyes.

'You gave me back the guns, you saved our people...why?' he asked, sternly.

'I never had any use for them...' she answered truthfully once again.

'How do I know I can trust you?' he asked, desperately hoping that she would somehow slip up in her words that would stop him making quite possibly, the worst mistake of his life.

'You thought that by hiding behind a bale of hay would make you invisible, Officer. I noticed you there after Smith left...if you didn't trust me, you wouldn't have risked your life coming back when you saw the fire.' she sighed, looking straight into his beautiful, blue eyes.

Rick bit the inside of his lip, as he realised that she had caught him in a conundrum in which he could not escape.

He was enticed by her behaviour, her faithfulness, her loyalty to her group, her selflessness in her salvage of Glenn and Rosita, her intelligence and most of all, the fact that he could read every emotion with just one look in her eyes.

'How many walkers have you killed?' he asked, his face falling into a scowl.

'Hundreds.' she answered, bluntly.

'How many people, who were they?'

'Just one...my fiancé.'

'Why?'

'He killed my daughter...'

* * *

**I thought a little background on Elsie Rivers was in order, so you guys are aware of her reasons for her still being alive and the way she is. **  
**Hopefully her life story is fitting with the rest of the characters and use it as ways to start different story lines with others. **


	6. 4: She Stays

_12 hours later._

As the sky began to settle into a red haze as the sun set, the group had set up camp once again further along the main road, but still only a few miles from Alexandria. Rick had already made the group aware of Elsie's presence within the group, and was greeted with both acceptance and anger.

He sat down amongst them all in front of the fire, holding a sleeping Judith against his chest. It was extremely quiet as everyone looked down at the floor and processed that past 72 hours, their loss, their pain, their loneliness.

'So how long are you allowing her to stay with us?' asked Carl, tearing up pieces of the grass in front of him. Rick lifted up his gaze to meet his, and could sense his emotions towards the girl.

'As long as she needs to.' Rick replied, trying hard to keep quiet to ensure that he did not wake his daughter.

'People died, Rick...have you forgotten that?' asked Michonne, sharpening her blade on a bit of rock. 'Remember, Jessie?'

Rick bit his lip as he felt his body stiffen at her name.

'Glenn and Rosita almost died because of her...' snapped Maggie, her arm interlinked with Glenn's.

'It wasn't her Mags, she wasn't around when we were taken, and afterall she got us out...she could've left us.' sighed Glenn, looking into her eyes with contempt.

As Rick sat and allowed them all to bicker, he looked over their heads into the trees, and saw Elsie's legs laid out on the floor from behind the tree, her chosen resting place. After their talk previously, he felt for her in ways the others could not possibly imagine. Losing his children was never an option, but Elsie never had an option. He could not imagine the pain she had gone through, and he knew that if he were in her position, he would be doing the same as her, or in fact be dead. He detested her for what had happened to Alexandria, although he knew deep down that it was not of her doing, but she had allowed that burden to be placed on her shoulders without any hesitation. He felt a pull in his heart towards her, whether it was attraction or possibly inquisitiveness but after everything that had happened, he had nothing else to lose for following that path.

'I say we just leave her here for the dead...' sneered Carl, joining in with the quiet rumble of voices within the group. Rick stood up and carefully handed Judith to Carol, before looking down in disgust at Carl, shocked at his lack of reasoning and understanding.

'Her name is Elsie...she didn't kill anybody. She never put a gun to my head, or anyone else's for that matter...she wasn't the one who kidnapped Glenn and Rosita, all she did was take a few guns and she almost lost her life trying to save her group.' Rick interjected loudly, quietening the group in a heartbeat. They all made diverted glances away from his glare as they tried to think of a defensive comeback, but knew that he was right. 'I saw her back there with her people, she is not the enemy here. She was just a pawn in a man's sick, fucking game...you may have already decided her fate, but I say she stays...and my decision is final.'

He marched away from their silence and towards Elsie, he stopped at her feet and looked around to see her, fast asleep with her arms crossed up around her chest and her long, thick brown hair loosely hanging over her arms. She looked incredibly peaceful, and her face was like a porcelain doll as the flickering moonlight allowed Rick to see her clearly, in her most vulnerable state. He hated himself for thinking that she was beautiful.

As he knelt down beside her as quietly as he could, she began to stir and her eyes shot open to look at him, her eyes gradually focusing on his exhausted face. She squirmed slightly in her place as she saw his blue eyes soften as they met gazes, and she bit the inside of her lip nervously. She was entirely outnumbered by this group, alone for the first time since it happened and she was off her guard.

'Sorry, I didn't hear you coming...' she mumbled, apprehensively as she sat up properly and brought her legs up to her chest.

'Don't worry about it.' he answered, smiling slightly. 'May I?'

She nodded in acceptance and he sat himself down next to her, making sure he left enough of a gap so he could watch her emotions and reactions to their conversation. He still felt a need to show her his authority and his ability to change his mind at any point - call it an animal instinct, protecting the ones he loved most.

'I haven't thanked you, Rick' she exhaled gently, looking up at the stars that shone through the trees. 'After everything...after...thankyou.'

'Well, I can't guarantee the other's acceptance, if they still decide that they don't trust you or want you after a while, I'll have no choice.' he stated, wanting a negative reaction from her, eagerly wanting some hostility so he could begin to dislike her for what happened. Instead, she looked down at the ground and smiled to herself.

'You won't need to make that choice, Officer.' she replied, playing with a piece of fabric that was fraying on her shorts. 'I won't have your group and yourself put in that position.'

Rick exhaled deeply as he felt the pull towards her once again, her smile was so pure, so innocent and kind and yet she was someone so manipulative and sly only a few days before. A walking contradiction.

As Judith began to wake up and make muffled gurgling noises, Elsie shut her eyes as though she was pained and turned her face away from Rick to hide her emotions from the sound.

'I'm sorry, I'll...' he started, before she shook her head and looked up into his eyes.

'No, don't apologise...something so precious in a world as dark as this, you're incredibly lucky.' she sighed sadly. He could see a slight shake in her eyes as she tried her best to hide her true thoughts, but after years of being in the police force, he could read her like an open book.

'How old was she...?' he asked quietly.

'4 and a half months...' she responded, taking off the locket necklace from around her neck. She opened it up and passed it to Rick, who could see two pictures. One of the most beautiful babies he had ever seen (she definitely had Elsie's eyes) and the other one which was her and what Rick presumed was her fiancée.

'She was beautiful.' he reassured, passing it back to her. As she placed it back over her head, he saw her smile fade back into a haunted shadow.

'Was she bitten by him?' he asked, knowing that he was more than likely treading on fragile ground, but he was desperate to try and help, to know who she was.

She shook her head sorrowfully and closed her eyes once again. She knew that he meant well with his questions, but as she recalled that horrific moment in her mind, she felt her eyes burning as tears tried to force their way through.

'Listen, I understand if...'

'Our wedding day was a week after we started hearing of the outbreak on the news...we were about to go for the run through, and everything just stopped. We boarded up the house, the cellar, everywhere and just hoped that it would only be a few days. Some stupid hope that it was all just a hoax...' she started, her voice cracking as she relived it all. Rick listened to her intently, feeling his heart breaking alongside with hers, placing himself in her position with his own family...something he could not begin to imagine going through.

'We started running out of food, I gave everything we had to Rose when she needed it...I begun to plan a route out of the city, to the coast back to England, something to strive for. I could see that Max was getting panicked, he was never strong minded...one day I woke up, and he had put a pillow over her during the night...she still looked asleep, and so perfect.' she wiped away her tears as she exhaled deeply and looked up at Rick. 'He tried to kill himself, but he was too much of a coward. So I finished the job...I can't remember anything until I met Smith a few months later...'

Rick remained silent and placed his hand on hers for reassurance. She looked up to the sky, noticing it darken into a black mist.

'I'm sorry...' he mumbled, stroking his thumb across her fingers. She lowered her gaze to his and smiled slightly, appreciating his attention and sympathy, something she had not been used to for a long time.

'Me too...' she replied, softly. That was when he realised that she knew of Jessie, he could see the guilt in her eyes and the pain in her heart.

That's enough, no more. Her suffering is over, she deserves a chance. A reason to live, to try again.

He cupped her hand and brought it up to his face, kissing her on the back of the hand. She blushed slightly at the sentiment, and allowed her eyelids to become heavy once again as she felt a wave of drowsiness echo through her body.

'Goodnight, Miss Rivers.' he said gently, standing up and turning towards his group.

'Night, Officer.'

* * *

**I loved writing this chapter, but I had been mulling around with the talk between Rick and Elsie for a while but after having a little review from the gorgeous Leyshla Gisel, it gave it a push into the idea I created. Hopefully it lives up to your expectations! **  
**Can I start putting in more feels now?**

**~ Mallory.**


	7. 5: Spacer

Whilst the rest of the camp slept, Maggie tossed and turned restlessly as the night eventually became dawn. She sat up straight and looked around the trees, reassuring herself that the barbed wire that encased the group was still intact, before lowering her gaze to her husband who was fast asleep next to her. Perfectly fine, perfectly safe.

After allowing Glenn express his faith in the new girl the night before, she turned her head to see part of a tattered sleeping bag emerge at the bottom of one of the trees, where Elsie was sleeping that night. Biting her lip hesitantly, she stood up as quietly as she could, and made her way towards her, creating a suitable enough explanation of her actions in her mind. As she reached the tree, she realised that something was wrong. The crumpled up sleeping bag was empty, and Elsie was nowhere to be seen. She felt a hard lump form in her throat and hatred burn through her once again.

'She's gone...Guys, that girl...she's disappeared!' she shouted, running back into the middle of the wakening group, waiting for them to process what she said.  
'Wait, what?' asked Daryl, groggily as he snatched up his crossbow and looked for himself. 'That son of a bitch...'  
'When did she leave, did anyone see her?' panicked Carol, holding her knife tightly and looking through the trees for any type of sign.  
'Who was meant to be on watch?' snapped Rick, feeling a sense of distrust and betrayal. His heart began to race as he felt his anger return.  
'Me, but she was crashed out only a few hours ago, I checked on her all the time.' stumbled Eugene.  
'I'll find her.' sneered Michonne, keeping calm and pulling out her katana.  
'No, I'll find her...' started Rick, when Daryl huffed and interrupted him sharply.  
'Nuh-uh, we ain't doin' that again...you were the one who told us she could stay and now look' he snarled. 'We'll go and find her, and bring her back...dead or alive.'  
Michonne nodded in agreement and began to saunter past Rick, when he held out his arm and stopped her.  
'You don't wanna do this, I thought you were all for having some humanity?' he asked, his voice growling under his breath. He saw the doubt in her eyes, as she delayed her answer.  
'Fuck humanity, she bailed on us after we let her live already...' Daryl barked loudly, noticing Rick attempt to hold back from verbally attacking him, although Rick knew he was right. He had no idea where Elsie had gone, or why she left, but he could predict that their conversation from the previous night could have been a major catalyst. He felt partially guilty once again for bringing up her past and her losses, maybe it was too much for her, maybe she needed a back out plan, maybe it was all his fault...

'Wait, look!' called Tara from the back of the group. They all spun around to follow her voice when they saw a body emerge from the trees in the horizon. Glenn lifted up his gun and looked through the barrel to see Elsie returning with a battered rucksack and covered in mud. She looked exhausted and out of breath as she made her way through the trees towards them, unaware of their plans to kill her.  
'It's Elsie, she's coming back.' he sighed, irritated that once again, some of the group rushed to judge.  
'Nah, it's too late...she already left, there's no god damn second chances 'ere.' snapped Daryl, walking through the group and holding his crossbow up towards her, with the middle of her head in his sights. Carol stormed upto him and slammed her arm on the crossbow, forcing it out of his hands and onto the floor.  
'What are you doing?!' she questioned, shocked at the change in his demeanour. 'You are not a savage Daryl, even less a murderer.'  
He looked into her eyes and knew that she was right, she always was. But he was still reeling from the attacks, his first chance at being accepted in a community, being part of something important. Needed. Wanted. All gone.  
As he saw her making her way back, Rick could not help but feel a large sense of relief, although he was extremely cautious as to where she had been, he looked up to see Carl holding Judith with a evil glare in his eyes. He walked upto Carl and placed his hand on his shoulder, Carl managed to tear his stare away from Elsie to look up at his father.  
'I'm gunna need you to take Judith away for a little while, just in case this gets nasty...don't go too far out. I still want to be able to see and hear you.' Rick asked, quietly. Carl accepted silently, and made his way towards the edge of the barbed wire, where the trees provided a little shade from the upcoming heat of the sun.

As Elsie climbed through the wire, she noticed that the entire group was staring at her, some with partial smiles, others with fearsome scowls. She bit her lip nervously as she awaited someone to begin the bombardment of questions.  
'...and where have you been?' asked Carol firmly, crossing her arms and pursing her lips.  
Elsie tried to take a large swallow as she felt her throat go dry. She looked down at the bag she had retrieved and lifted it up to try and undo it.  
Rick stormed through and snatched the bag away from her, just in case she had tried to bring something dangerous into the group. He knew he could not completely trust anybody any more, especially with something he was not fully aware of. He emptied it onto the floor and examined the contents.  
There were a few pieces of clothing (presumably for herself), a map, numerous tins of food for the group, water and baby food.  
Rick exhaled and kept still for a few moments, looking at each item in detail as he rubbed his faces with this hand.  
'I...I'm sorry I didn't say anything.' she said, quietly. 'I didn't want to wake anybody.'  
After a while, Rick stood back up on his feet and looked at her, studying the emotions on her face. He could tell that she was tired, that her eyes were still swollen from possibly crying a few hours before, her innocence. He looked down at her attire and noticed that she was covered in grazes and mud, with signs that she had struggled. He felt a pull towards her once again, to make sure she was alright, to ensure that she was not bitten or scratched or even upset for that matter. That smile that he saw last night appeared long gone as she stared back at him with a hollow, worn out stare.  
'Where did you get this?' asked Tara, taking a step towards her out of pity.  
'I didn't...I thought...I...' she stammered, suddenly feeling incredibly vulnerable as everyone awaited her reply. She knew that what she had done was entirely innocent and a way of saying thanks, but she could not help but feel like she was being pushed up onto a pedestal already being deemed guilty. She looked across and met Rick's gaze and calmed slightly. She knew that the look lasted for a split second longer than it should of, and with that he knew where she had been.  
'Why did you go back?' he asked, lowering his voice in a blind hope of calming the rest of the group.  
'Because I can.' she answered. 'I overheard you all talking last night, struggling to eat, and a child should never be subject to starvation.'  
'We didn't ask for your help.' snapped Michonne. 'This means nothing.'

Suddenly, Elsie felt something snap inside her mind, maybe it was her patience, possibly her ability to continue taking shit from strangers. She closed her eyes in an attempt to try and dull down the increasing warmth of animosity in her veins, but it was no use.  
'You're right, you didn't ask. But I never asked for this either. I understand that my actions possibly caused added trauma to your lives, and possibly taking away people that you loved...'  
As she said this, Rick noticed her glance up towards him, a personal note within her harsh words.  
'But here you are, altogether...I have no body but myself and stupidly I went back there to try and get some supplies for this fucking group, almost killing myself in the process because that is the only thing I know how to do...and I get shit in return. Well, fuck you.' she snapped, spinning on her heels and storming off in the opposite direction.  
The group looked away in guilt and humiliation as they allowed Elsie to walk away. Rick watched her make her way into the distance, feeling stuck to the ground. His group was the only permanent fixture in his life, his reason to live. But this woman, something about her caused him to stir emotions that wanted him to race after her, bring her back, make sure she was safe. But he knew she did not need to be protected, to be made into a vulnerable member of the group, he saw her when she was a threat...that wasn't her anymore.  
'Go after her...' mumbled a voice behind him, Rick spun around to see Carl stood amongst the group, leaning a sleeping Judith on his left hip.  
'...What?' he asked, unsure of Carl's motives, he found found it difficult to read his own son nowadays, especially after losing Enid.  
'Go after her, make sure she's okay.' he answered.

That was all the push Rick needed before he made a run for her.  
'Hey, hey wait!' he shouted, stopping in front of her and holding his arms forward to stop her. As he looked down at her, he saw the anger in her eyes, and the tiredness in her face, slightly more gaunt than the first time her met her.  
'Get off me, Rick.' she snapped, trying to make her way around him.  
'I can't let you do that...' he sighed, grabbing hold of her arm. She stopped and looked up into his glistening blue eyes, clearly seeing the worry and cautiousness in him, but in her was rage and sadness, she was not up for silly mind games.  
'Why...are you gunna stop me?' she asked, sternly.  
He was unable to reply, because he knew the answer wouldn't be right considering the circumstances. It angered him knowing that he could not imagine forcing any harm onto her, considering she was still only a stranger.  
'If you're gunna leave us then leave...' he exhaled. 'But I just want to say thanks, my daughter is...I...am grateful for what you did.'  
Her lips formed a slight smile but her eyes still showed her sadness, deep down she felt undeserving of positive attention, it was safer for everyone else if she was alone.  
'There's still guns...' she sighed, looking back towards the direction of Alexandria. 'Ammo, food, clothes, people...maybe. I'll come back with more.'  
'That's not an option.' Rick stated, feeling an overwhelming sense of worry for her, dreading her leaving for a place so dangerous without his protection. 'If you come back, we'll make a plan and make sure there's enough bodies so everyone gets in and out, safe.'  
Elsie's brow furrowed in concern and confusion. Was this kindness? Or was it was way of keeping track on her so she couldn't run off again?

'Why are you doing this?' she asked.  
'Because I...we need you.'  
'You need me?' she replied, picking up on his stammer.  
Rick widened his eyes in embarrassment at his words. He couldn't believe that she had picked up on it, and now he was stuck. He did not even plan on saying it, it just came out. Just maybe his conciousness was right, he did need her, a stranger that had crashed into his life only 72 hours before.


	8. 6: Return

_Sorry this chapter took a while to upload, that's why I've made a double chapter, to give you more to read!  
Ive just watched the last S5 episode, and I aim to introduce Morgan into mine at some point. But this remains my own story and I do not want to follow the main story much.  
Please give any critiques, or comments!  
~ Mallory._

* * *

'There's a small cave underneath an abandoned bridge not too far from here, about a 20 minute walk along the main road…' Daryl's voice echoed through the forest as the group circled around the burnt out fire. All their bags were packed with whatever they had salvaged beforehand ready to move out once again.

'But the high road will be swarming with walkers for miles…' replied Rosita, her chest tightening nervously as she was aware that they were entirely outnumbered.

'There's still fire and smoke coming from Alexandria, any walker around will be there until the air clears. The highway had been cleaned out from Aaron and the guys until the last second, it'll take at least a few days before you get caught up in a group of walkers' replied Michonne. 'Besides, somewhere outta the way and dark will be the best bet.'

'…So, why are we moving?' asked Carol with slight worry in her voice. 'We're perfectly happy here.'

'When we get to Alexandria, we won't know what's there…' Rick exhaled, still trying to keep a sense of authority in his reply. 'Anything could be there, I need you to be safe and away from any harm.'

'I'll go with you, Dad.' Carl stated, taking a step forward towards him, with a wry smile on his face. Rick understood his need to feel part of the males within the group, especially now he was getting older and seeing Erin fall down had pushed him further into hostility. Rick could not trust him him not to go AWOL, especially with Elsie still on dangerous ground.

'No, Carl. This isn't the place…I need you and Glenn to make sure everyone gets to the bridge safe. Take out anything that gets in your way and start the patrols'

Carl bit the inside of his cheek, irritated at the rejection of help and turned away. Glenn met Rick's stare and read him clearly, nodded in understanding and picked up his rifle off the ground ready to leave.

'I'm gunna take Daryl, Michonne and Elsie into Alexandria. We'll get food, supplies and any guns we can find and hold. If we aren't back by dusk then Glenn, Tara, Eugene &amp; Rosita…you come back.' Rick stated, turning around slowly to look at everyone's reaction. 'Any questions?' He asked, glaring at Michonne as he noticed her staring at the back of Elsie's head in sheer hatred. She lost her focus and shook her head as she realised she had been caught.

He then looked down at Elsie biting her lip. She was not used to allowing strangers making up the rules, especially from someone she could have killed a few days ago. She felt uneasy and out of her depth, and as she met Rick's eyes, she felt a sense of worry that she could lose him to the walkers of Alexandria.

* * *

_An hour later..._

Elsie paced forward towards the torn down wall, ensuring her silence, watching out for any movement in front of her. She could hear the others behind her and felt a sense of pressure not to fuck up, knowing her neck was on the line.

After hearing a rustle and snapping of branches, she fell down into the kneeling position and lifted up her sniper. She locked her sights on a group of walkers in between the trees, eight at most. Although it was kind of Rick to provide her with the sniper, it was useless without any bullets, she looked over her shoulder at the others and saw Daryl and Michonne glancing back, awaiting her next move.

'Go on then…first dibs and all' whispered Daryl to her, wanting to see what she was made of.

_If she was able to take over the gun hold, tackle Rick and escape the walkers…there must be something special about her…_he thought to himself, awaiting her next move.

Elsie noticed Rick's reaction behind Daryl, he was shaking his head just enough for her to see, which irritated her further. She wanted to prove herself, that she was far from weak, or reliant on anybody. She knew she did not need any of them there. She placed the sniper on the floor, took out her pistol out of her pocket and stood up. She made her way through the trees, allowing herself to be clearly seen and awaited the walkers reaction as she lifted up her gun and pointed it at the closest one.

Rick felt his heart beat against his chest as he watched her leave her position, it was too dangerous to call out and he did not want the others to see him break out of worry. He saw the lack of emotion on her face as she lifted up her weapon, and he was glad that he had allowed her to have the best pistol with a brand new silencer. As the walkers turned towards her and groaned loudly, he began to feel sick and he hesitantly stood up into a crouched position, ready to run out and help her. But soon enough, he realised that she needed no help at all. She lowered her right hand and placed her thumb in one of the belt loops in her shorts, closed her left eye and began to shoot each walker one by one, not missing a single shot. Once the last one fell down into a crumpled bag of bones on the floor, Rick exhaled in astonishment, and also felt quite incompetent compared to her performance. He noticed Daryl glance at Michonne with a slight smile, impressed at it whilst she huffed back as a reply.

'Come on then…' Elsie beckoned, as a retaliation of what Daryl had said beforehand. They made their towards her and Daryl nodded slightly towards her as a way of saying well done and set off into the walls first. Rick placed his hand on her shoulder and passed her back the sniper.

'Not a bad shot…' He said quietly in amusement. She smiled as she reloaded her pistol and set off behind Michonne.

'You should see me with the rest…' She replied, aware of the slight hint of flirtatiousness in her voice. Although he was partially taken back by the reply, he enjoyed the different side to her, a slight insight into her true personality. Feeling the emotional pull towards her once again, he followed behind her, attempting to think of a good reply. But before he had the chance, Daryl lifted up his arm to stop them, and fell into the crouched position once again.

'I see some movement around the warehouse area, and some around the houses...' he mumbled.

'I say we split up through the houses first…place anything we might need on the road out the front and pick up before we leave in bags' suggested Michonne. 'Few clothes, any personal items…then we'll head to medical'

Rick exhaled in sadness and looked down at the ground at Michonne's last word, recalling Pete's position within the medical centre. Elsie noticed the change in his behaviour and began to feel guilty once again, she knew she was still yet to find out his past but clearly it had something to do with that.

'I'll do the medical' she answered, looking up at Michonne. 'There's nothing for me in those houses, and I'm the only one with an empty pack. I'll grab as much as I can and I'll clear the way around the back of the warehouse and meet you there.'

'Fine by me.' Michonne agreed, understanding the reason behind her offer and looked up at Rick. 'You ready?'

'Yeah, let's go' he replied, standing up. He looked down at Elsie who was watching him cautiously for any other worries he had. 'Thanks…'

'If I'm not at the warehouse by the time you finish, don't hang around. This place will be heaving with walkers once it gets dark' she replied, pretending to shrug off what he said, but Rick saw in her eyes that she accepted it, the one thing that became more addictive to him. How readable she was.

* * *

**Rick's side.**

There it was. A skeleton of a house that once resided a woman he had begun to love. Burnt out during the panic as did most of the houses along this particular street. Michonne placed her hand on his shoulder comfortingly as she noticed his stare, but noticed that his eyes were glazed over, rather than focused on the house.

'…Rick?' she asked.

It was then he realised what he felt, nothing. Nothing for the woman he thought he loved, now that she was gone. She became an obsession, someone to strive for, a pawn in a game of boredom now that he had arrived somewhere safe that he could not be the leader of.

He exhaled deeply as he made his realisation, and also a sense of guilt for knowing that he had murdered Jessie's husband due to this obsession. He finally locked his eyes on Michonne and noticed the worry on her face.

'I'm good' he reassured her, before walking with her down the next street.

'Hey!' Daryl's voice hissed, as they turned the corner. 'Our houses weren't touched, looks like Carol locked them up good before we left'

With a sense of relief, they caught up with him and unlocked the doors to retrieve their belongings.

* * *

**Elsie's side.**

The entrance to the medical centre was crawling with walkers, trying to get through the door. As Elsie lowered the sight in her gun, she counted the bullets she had left.

_Five…no wait, six._

Slightly irritated at the lack of ammunition she was given (due to Daryl's demand), she checked that her knife was still attached to her belt and then made her way down to the entrance. Shooting each one off one by one, she aimed towards the last walker with her last bullet, but as she shot, something jumped on her and she fell to the ground. Two walkers began to bite at her face, and she struggled to hold them away as they snarled and snapped. She reached down for her knife and slammed it into both their heads. Wiggling out of their reach, adrenaline pumping through her veins, she noticed the previous walker reaching towards her, she kicked it as hard as she could to get a better angle before also stabbing it in the head.

As she made her way inside, she noticed vials of pills and liquids dotted around the surgery room, which she eagerly placed into her rucksack, including medical kits and anything else that had been left in the cupboards. As she carried on into the next room, she noticed a photo hanging up in the office. A tall male, with his arm around a blonde, possibly his wife and their child, a brown haired boy that looked a lot like his father. She narrowed her eyes as she recalled Rick being unwilling to go here, maybe it was something to do with this family.

As she continued to look around the office, she heard the sound of glass breaking in another room. She fell to the floor and hid behind the wooden study desk and held her breath as she heard footsteps get louder, they were too strong to be a walkers shuffle.

'Seriously…you couldn't just go through the damn door?' A deep male voice called out, unfamiliar to Elsie.

'Hey fuck you man, there's no one else here' replied another male voice.

'Are you sure?... Look, that's new biter blood right here, we've only been gone twenty minutes...'

Elsie heard guns reload as she held her knife closely and curled up into a tight ball.

'Who's here?' They called out, reaching the corridor outside the office. 'It's too late, we've burnt your little city to the ground…you've got nothing!'

Elsie closed her eyes, as she realised that these weren't residents, they were looters…raiders, just like her. Shoot to kill, leave no witnesses, and she was no match for them.

As they reached the office, they slowly walked inside, making their way around. Just as Elsie readied herself to jump out in hope for an easy fight. A new voice shouted out from what sounded like outside.

'Guys, guys!' It called 'We've got company, there's two guys and a woman, making their way towards the gun hold, they look like residents but they've got guns!'

The raiders stopped in their tracks and growled angrily at the news.

'Keep away from them until I get there…I want first blood' One of the laughed before loudly exiting the centre.

Elsie felt her heart beat faster than before against her chest as she felt a lump form in her throat.

_Rick._

* * *

'How many bags did you find?' Rick asked as they walked up towards the warehouse.

'We got five, one for baby stuff…one for clothes and sleeping bags, one is food and the rest is guns.' Michonne answered.

Rick then noticed that Elsie had not yet arrived, he looked around to see if she was coming but she was no where to be seen. He bit the inside of his cheek nervously, suddenly aware that it was possibly a bit too quiet, seeing as there had been a rampage only days ago.

'You guys go ahead…I'm gonna go and see if Elsie got caught up in something.' He said, passing Michonne his bag.

'Why?' Daryl asked. 'She said if she wasn't here to just go…she probably ran off to find more of her people'

'Or she's trapped…' Rick answered, trying to push the thought of that scenario to the back of his mind. 'She's got all that medical supplies…'

He knew that reply would make Daryl more understanding, but as he began to turn, he noticed them. Ten men aiming their guns towards them.  
They were outnumbered.

'Well, well…what do we have here?' one snarled as he took a step towards Rick, aiming a gun at his head. 'Residents trying to escape?'

'Just tryna find supplies, just like you' Rick reasoned, lifting up his hands as six of them grabbed hold of them and rinsed them of their guns and knives.

'Nah, this is our town now' another sneered.

'Fine, let us just leave with the stuff we have and you can keep the rest, we just need enough to survive'

'Now you know that ain't happenin'' he laughed, before his face fell into a vicious scowl as he studied Rick's face. 'Wait…don't I know you?'

Rick recognised him, but could not think where, he scanned around at the men for any sign of recent killing, just in case they had gotten Elsie, although the thought of that made the blood in his veins burn with rage.

'I know who the hell you are' the males voice deepened into a growl. 'You're the one who killed my brothers and locked me away when I was sixteen years old…'

Suddenly two of the men beside him fell down to the floor in a heap. The male looked over and noticed bullet holes in the centre of their foreheads. Straight after another four fell down into the same position.

'Who the fuck is doing this?!' The male shouted, walking faster towards them with his hands up. Aware that Rick was still outnumbered and without any type of weapon, he took a few steps back and realised who he was against.

'Jayson…' Rick mumbled under his breath. Jayson smiled sheepishly as he placed the barrel of his gun against Rick's forehead.

'The last person you'll ever see...' he laughed darkly.

Just as he [placed pressure on the trigger, a gun came crashing into the side of Jayson's head and knocked him out onto the floor, with a bloodied Elsie behind him. Daryl and Michonne began to wrestle with the others and Rick jumped around to help.

'What took you so long?' Daryl shouted as Elsie grabbed the empty gun as used it to kill them.

'I ran outta ammo!' She shouted back. 'I found a sniper with six rounds in…and my knife broke in a walker!'

As she spun around to get the male that Rick was holding, she saw Jayson aiming the gun at Rick, before she could think, she dropped her gun and jumped in front of him.

'No!' She screamed before Jayson pulled the trigger. She felt the bullet pierce her chest as she fell to the ground and blacked out.

Daryl jumped over her and punched Jayson as hard as he could over and over again until he stopped moving.

Rick, realising what had happened, fell to his knees and looked at Elsie's wound, he carefully lifted her up and looked at her back. The bullet had gone through, no shards.

'Elsie!' He shouted, hoping for a response, but she did not move. Michonne kneeled down and pressed her fingers against her neck.

'There's a pulse, it's weak but it's there' she said, looking over at the bag Elsie had dropped. 'I think she got the entire centre in here, we need to go back to the group.'

'You guys go back, I'll get the guns' Daryl's voice echoed through the panic, his fists and face bloody.

'Daryl, you can't stay…' Rick shouted back.

'I said, I'll be back'

Rick accepted defeat with Daryl and looked back down at Elsie, wiping away the blood that was on her locket necklace.

**'Stay with me Elsie, you'll be okay.'**


	9. 7: Recovery

The minutes slowly ticked by as the rest of the camp anxiously awaited their return. As Carol finished setting up the new fire, thankful for the cover of the cave, she sat by Carl and picked up the sleeping Judith and placed her on the thick cardigan bed she had created.

'Do you think they're alright?' Tara asked, pinching her arm nervously. 'It's almost dark and there's still no sign of them…'

'I'll go find them' Carl said, standing up and checking the barrel of his gun. 'You guys coming?'

'You know what your dad said, you gotta stay here' said Glenn. 'We can't have you running off in the state you're in'

Carl narrowed his eyes in annoyance, but knew that deep down he was still hurting from seeing Enid get killed. 'I'm fine…besides, you can't really expect that girl to be trusted out there?'

'What other choice does she have Carl?' snapped Rosita. 'She could have killed your dad but she didn't, she rescued me and Glenn, she bought back supplies and all through that we treated her like some kind of monster.'

'If it wasn't for her, we might have saved Alexandria!' Carl shouted, slight aching in his voice. That's when he noticed everyone look down to their floor and shake their heads in disagreement. He felt hopeless and completely lost back out in the wilderness.

'Carl sweetie, we had no hope…' Carol sighed, standing up and softly rubbing his shoulder.

'I estimate the time between here and Alexandria to be approximately twenty five minutes if they are walking fast, if they have not yet left the town they will be in extreme danger due to their lack of sunlight.' Eugene's voice echoed through the silence. 'I suggest we leave right now with some of the torches in case they need our assistance'

Glenn nodded in agreement and turned towards Maggie, who had her legs up against her chest protectively.

'You know what we gotta do' he sighed.

'I'll go on patrol here for a few hours, if you're not back after that I'm coming after…'

Tara interrupted Maggie as she saw shadows racing towards them. Too fast to be walkers, too dark to know who they were.

'Guys!' She shouted nervously, as she gripped tighter in her gun, she lifted it up and looked through her sights as she squinted too see.

'I can't see who they are' she snapped.

Carl pushed his way forward and lifted up his gun, waiting for the right time, but as he the figures more solidly, he noticed Rick holding Elsie in his arms and Michonne running as fast as she can, her katana held high in case of walkers.

'Dad!' He shouted, before Rosita slammed her hand onto his mouth.

'Shut up, you're gunna get us noticed you idiot!' She snapped.

'What happened?!' Carol panicked as they reached the entrance of the cave. Rick ignored her as he carefully laid Elsie down next to the fire to keep her warm. He frantically looked at her as he noticed her lips turning blue.

'She jumped in front of Rick and got shot' Michonne rushed, dropping the rucksack down and searching through.

'Here let me help…' Rosita said calmly, kneeling beside Elsie and taking a look at the wound. She saw it was from close range and the bullet had gone straight through the other side, but the wound was significant.

'It's gone through the shoulder so nothing's been damaged but she's lost a lot of blood, we have to make sure there's no infection and get it sewn up immediately if she's going to survive.' She said, ripping Elsie's vest open.

'Wait…where's Daryl?' Carol called out, looking around at the darkness.

'He stayed behind to get more, don't worry he'll be back' Michonne said, seeing Carols worry in her eyes.

'There's nothing in here we can use as disinfectant' Rosita said, emptying the rucksack onto the floor.

'Daryl's got some 'shine in his pack' Glenn recalled, racing over to the group of bags, he rummaged through and took out half a bottle of clear alcohol. He threw it over to Rosita and she poured it over the wound.

'Is she gunna be alright?' Rick mumbled, not taking his eyes off Elsie's face. He could feel his whole body shaking. He was supposed to have been shot. He could have died. His whole body racked with guilt as he softly placed his hand on her forehead, she was stone cold. 'She's freezing, you gotta hurry!'

'I'm going as fast as I can Rick, just be glad she's out right now, this is gunna hurt when she wakes up'

'You were gunna get shot?' asked Carl, stood behind them all in shock. 'Who by?'

Rick rubbed his face vigorously with one of his hands and tore away his sight to look at him.

'It was some guy I arrested a long time ago, apparently I killed his brother…' he stated, darkly. 'He recognised me straight away…he got me point blank but Elsie knocked him on his ass, but I didn't see him get up…he was right in front of me and I didn't see him until it was too late…'

* * *

The blazing sunlight beat down as Elsie felt the heat against her face. She stirred and reluctantly opened one eye before recalling what had previously happened. She tried jumping up but tensed and groaned as the pain resonated through her chest. She laid back down and noticed Daryl sat with his back to her, using his knife to sharpen wood into arrows. He glanced over his shoulder and huffed before continuing.

'I feel like shit…' she grumbled, her voice croaking.

'You look it…' He replied sharply, smiling slightly when he heard her try to laugh.

'Did you all get out alright?' She asked, her voice becoming more serious. He turned around to face her and nodded, looking at the blood stained bandages on her shoulder.

'Yeah…thanks' he said quietly. She smiled back at him in acknowledgement before attempting to sit herself up.

'Did we bring everything out?' She asked, focusing her piercing blue eyes on him. 'I didn't get to the guns, I'm sorry.'

Daryl looked up at her and saw the guilt in her eyes, after what she had done, and she was still down about something else? She confused him, but he also saw her genuine kindness which was refreshing.

'I got 'em afterwards…Rick got you back here' he answered, which changed Elsie's facial expression completely. All she could remember was Rick shouting at her to stay awake, to stay with him.

'Thanks' she said, looking up at Daryl awkwardly.

'I'll go get Rick' he said, before standing up and disappearing.

She seemed to start dozing off again, before she felt something touch her arm, she jumped up once again and grunted in pain.

'Woah, woah, easy!' said Rick grabbing hold of her back, helping her lay back down slowly.

'Really gotta stop doing that' she groaned, before looking up into his eyes. She had never seen him worried before, especially over her and it made her blush awkwardly as she looked away again.

'Thank you…Elsie, what you did…' He started, before she smiled and waved her hand slightly.

'Forget about it' she said, softly. 'I couldn't come back here without you could I?'

He laughed under his breath at her attempt at being humorous and looked at her picking at her nails, he could see that she was nervous and it made him settle a little seeing her more human.

'I owe you my life' he stated, placing his hand on her arm. 'After all the shit you've had from us…the group want you to stay…if you want'

She looked at his hand on her, feeling it calm her racing heart, before looking up into his eyes again.

'Do you want me to stay?' she asked nervously. She saw the side of his mouth rise slightly as he tried to hide a smile.

'Yeah, I'd like you to stay' he replied.

He had not felt this nervous around a female in almost twenty years, it felt entirely different to how he was with Jessie. With her it was an obsession, a burning desire to 'own' somebody, somebody that was someone else's. After making that revelation, he began to see Elsie in a different light. The slight red tint in her hair, the way her eyes seem to reflect everything, the freckles on her shoulders, her natural smell being a slight coconut and the big difference - she put his life before hers without thinking twice.

She smiled and nodded at his admission noticing his eyes flick over her.

'Fine, I'll stay.'

Their eyes connected and lingered for a split second longer than expected, and Elsie noticed Rick bite the inside of his cheek which sent shivers down her spine.

'Rick!' called Maggie. 'We're ready to swap patrols'

Rick closed his eyes and sighed at the interruption, before looking up and seeing Elsie smiling at him, calming the rush of adrenaline in his body. He leant in and kissed her on the cheek, lingering slightly at the warmth, trying to push back the image of her lying lifelessly on the floor only twelve hours before.

'Get some rest Els, I'll check up on you later.' He said quietly, before leaving her alone once again.

* * *

I've finally gotten around to re-editing Chapter Six, so if you would like to read it without any mistakes/spelling errors then feel free!

I really would like to know how you're liking the story so far, and the route I'm beginning to take.

~ Mallory.


End file.
